Heaven Can Wait || Eddie Munson Story ||

Don't Turn Away

"Steve, I can't even call her. Her phone has been disconnected for two weeks now."

"She got a new number, dude," Steve grumbles on the other line.

"What? Give me it than," I demand. I'm pacing my hotel room, a Yoo-hoo dangling from my fingers.

"I can't. Nancy said they would know if you got her new number, that it was me that gave it to you. They haven't given it to Dustin. They've made the kids give her a walkie-talkie and they use that to talk to her."

"Damn it," I grumble. "Why are they so clever?"

"Beats me." Silence rings out between us for a moment.

"How has she been?" I finally ask, quietly.

"Sad," he says earnestly. "She's been busy with work. She submitted two new pieces to her publisher way before deadline which they were impressed with. They loved the concepts and they are working on getting her two assistants so she can move forward with getting the comics together and ready for them to do what they have to do to print them. She has another week to submit the last concept and she told Nancy she should be done with it in a day or two.

She's honestly been working herself into the ground. I think she's keeping herself busy so she doesn't have to think about what has been going on."

I nod along to what he is saying, completely understanding the sentiment. I have been working almost 22 hour days just so I wouldn't think of her. When I close my eyes to sleep, there she is, smiling at me. I wake up crying and broken. I get up and keep going all day, never stopping out of fear of losing my mind.

"How have you been, Munson?" Steve asks.

"Oh, you know. Just living the dream," I say bitterly and take a swig of my Yoo-hoo. "I don't think I've slept more than 3 hours at a time in the last two weeks."

Steve sighs. "I don't know how to help you guys. She seems pretty adamant that this is for the best."

"It definitely doesn't feel like it." I set down my bottle and play with my hair, flopping down on my bed.

"When is the tour over?" Steve asks. I tsk slightly and cover my eyes with my hand.

"So that's the thing. Quinn pulled me aside yesterday and said that we got an offer to go on an European tour almost immediately after this tour ends. We would be opening for Ozzy Osbourne."

Steve whistles lowly. This is it. This is the dream. This has been what I have always hoped for for the band. All those years of practicing and playing. This is what it was for, but I couldn't feel excited. The person I want to share it with isn't with me. She wouldn't get to see me shine.

"So what's the problem?" Steve asks. "Hasn't he been your idol for forever? I even know who he is because of you."

"It's a dream come true and honestly I would love to cash in on the opportunity but it would mean an additional year in Europe with no breaks. I wouldn't be able to come home. I won't be able to fix things with AnnMarie." I chew my lip as Steve goes quiet on the other side. I pull at my split ends slightly, nervous for his response.

"Didn't AnnMarie tell you, that if you loved her you should follow your dreams?" Steve asks and I sit up, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Yea."

"So, you go to Europe for a year. Become a big hit, live the dream, and make a name for yourself. You show the world what AnnMarie sees in you and then come back and get the girl."

He says it so simply, as though there can be no other options. As if the answer is so clear and I'm an idiot for doubting myself.

"What if the girl doesn't want me after all that, Harrington?" I ask, annoyed.